In Almost Every Picture

In Almost Every Picture by Erik Kessels

One of the very best things about my trip to Europe over the holidays was being shown around Amsterdam by the awesome, excellent and affable Bert Teunissen. It was the total VIP treatment; over the course of one (very full) day we ate great food, walked all over town, visited galleries and browsed in bookstores. The day culminated in a drive across the harbor (well, under it) to a restaurant built within a converted industrial space. A leisurely, convivial dinner was followed by a visit to Bert’s studio that reaffirmed my love of traditional darkroom prints.

In one particularly great design/photography bookstore, the name of which sadly escapes me at the moment, Bert showed me a bunch of his friend Erik Kessels’ books. I fell especially in love with the slip-cased edition of In Almost Every Picture (Volumes 1-5), a set books of found photography that I just can’t believe he had the good fortune to find.* Yes, that is a thick delicious felt slipcase and the books inside are an absolute delight. My favorite is # 2:

A photo from In Almost Every Picture #2

Kessels and Stultiens have delved into the treasure trove of vernacular photography. They found a remarkable series of photographs taken by a taxi driver of one passenger only. The passenger and the taxi are pictured in front of mountains, fields, sunsets, city squares, highway rest stops. What were they doing there? Who was she? Why did she travel like this?

I seriously covet the set - I was tempted to buy it in Amsterdam, but the weak dollar and the prospect of a book-heavy suitcase to schlep through my connection in Heathrow deterred me. I’m looking forward to when Aperture has it in stock, and I’m also really looking forward to the upcoming exhibition at the Aperture Gallery, where the work will be shown alongside Australian photographer Matthew Sleeth’s Ten Series/106 Photographs.

I’m going to be in Austin for South by Southwest when the show opens, damnit, but I’ll do my level best to be in town for Erik’s artist talk on May 13th.

*OK, maybe not good fortune. I’m guessing he’s one of those people who patiently, obsessively rifles through stacks of abandoned photos at thrift shops and flea markets, something I’ve never had the attention span for myself. Erik, I salute both your obsessiveness and your wherewithal to make great books with its bounty.